Historic Buildings and Sites

News about Historic Buildings and Sites, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Dec. 4, 2016

Residents of Newport, RI are protesting construction of huge multi-sided mansion, complaining unusual structure being built just outside historic district does not fit neighborhood's elegant character; architect Andrew DiGiammo says house complies with zoning regulations and will blend in when finished. MORE

Nov. 27, 2016

Historic double-ended steam boat Binghamton, which served as Hudson River ferry from 1905-1967 and floating restaurant in Edgewater, NJ, from 1976-2007, has been damaged beyond repair by storms and neglect and is slated for demolition. MORE

Nov. 25, 2016

Greek Revival building in East Village linked to New York City's political past is slated for demolition after efforts to grant it landmark status fail; row house on East Seventh Street was built around 1843 in area formerly known as Dry Dock District which later became home to many figures connected to Tammany Hall; preservationists say loss of building is another example of how very charm that attracts people to city is being destroyed by rush to build luxury housing. MORE

Nov. 9, 2016

Clean up of Harvard Square in Cambridge, Mass, is threatening future of Out of Town News, 61-year-old newspaper and magazine shop located in former subway entrance built in 1928; potential loss of historic kiosk is causing struggle between Harvard Square Business Assn and citizens group Our Harvard Square; historic commission is currently studying whether to grant kiosk landmark status. MORE

Nov. 3, 2016

Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn plans to pay homage to Horace Greeley and eight other failed presidential candidates buried there with two-hour historic tour of their grave sites. MORE

Oct. 30, 2016

Radar mapping of Old Southampton Burial Ground on Long Island reveals approximately 1,700 graves under 2 acre area that currently has only 47 tombstones; town officials plan to reclaim cemetery, which had been used as public park in recent years, as historic site. MORE

Oct. 26, 2016

Elderly veterans of Israel's Palmach, elite military force that fought for country's establishment in 1940s, gather to protest dedication of memorial to former Gen Rehavam Zeevi at heritage site Shaar Hagai; former commandos object to polarization of country's politics that they feel Zeevi, who was assasinated in 2001, contributed to. MORE

Oct. 18, 2016

Austrian government moves to expropriate building in Braunau am Inn where Adolf Hitler was born; may tear down structure in order to prevent neo-Nazis and tourists from gathering there. MORE

Oct. 16, 2016

New Yorkers are astonished to see western side of Grand Central Terminal suddenly exposed after five buildings hiding it for decades are demolished; developers building office tower rivaling Empire State Building in height on lot next to landmark station have committed to preserving as many views of structure as possible. MORE

Oct. 16, 2016

Grace Notes column; oak tree estimated to be 600 years old, under which George Washington is said to have lunched with Marquis de Lafayette, is being removed from cemetery of Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church in New Jersey; arborists have determined unseasonably hot August, combined with sustained drought, killed beloved local landmark. MORE

Oct. 14, 2016

Eve M Khan Antiques column; renovations of rooms from homes owned by Harriet Beecher Stowe and Mark Twain in Hartford, CT, are scheduled to conclude in late 2016. MORE

Oct. 12, 2016

Plan by developer Toll Brothers to build 80 new condominiums on historic Jewelers Row in Philadelphia is worrying preservationists; five old buildings will be razed, but company says it will preserve appearance of street. MORE

Oct. 10, 2016

Grace Notes; National Trust for Historic Preservation places downtown area of Flemington, NJ, on endangered-places list after town announces redevelopment plan that would demolish long-closed Union Hotel, which played role in 1935 trial of Lindbergh baby kidnapper. MORE

Oct. 1, 2016

Spokesman for National Transportation Safety Board reports that none of architectural elements that landed Hoboken Terminal on National Register of Historic Places appear to have been damaged in crash of New Jersey Transit commuter train. MORE

Sep. 30, 2016

Eve M Kahn Antiques column; several exhibits worldwide explore facilities that held mental patients and horrors they faced, ranging from exhibition Bedlam: The Asylum and Beyond at Wellcome Collection in London to 2017 show on abandoned hospital St Elizabeths at National Building Museum in Washington. MORE

Sep. 29, 2016

Courtyard enclosed by Macdougal-Sullivan Gardens Historic District, landmark community of 21 19th-century row homes in Greenwich Village, comprises secret garden in middle of New York City; style icon Anna Wintour, musician Bob Dylan and film director Baz Luhrmann have all lived in district. MORE

Sep. 28, 2016

International Criminal Court judges sentence Faqi al-Madhi, member of Al Qaeda-affiliated group Ansar Dine, to nine years for role in 2012 demolition of historic Muslim shrines in Timbuktu, Mali; ruling marks court's first prosecution of destruction of cultural heritage as war crime. MORE

Sep. 21, 2016

Istanbul Journal; Istikal Avenue, once lively and cosmopolitan thoroughfare at center of Istanbul, has come to represent city's malaise; many businesses that gave neighborhood character have closed amid country's numerous troubles while Islamist government has allowed many historic buildings to be replaced with modern chain stores. MORE

Sep. 16, 2016

Writer Renee Watson is seeking to raise funds in order to rent Harlem brownstone where poet Langston Hughes once lived from its current owners and turn it into gathering space for young artists; her efforts highlight struggles small organizations looking to preserve historical properties face, thanks in part to soaring real estate prices around New York City. MORE

Sep. 15, 2016

Plum Island, which lies off Long Island coast and is home to high-security Plum Island Animal Disease Center, has become subject of controversy; research center will close within decade and federal government hopes to sell island, longtime inspiration for stories and conspiracy theories, to developer, while many locals want it to become nature sanctuary or public park. MORE

Sep. 13, 2016

David W Dunlap Building Blocks column remembers late architect John Belle, retired founding partner of preservation-focused firm Beyer Blinder who headed high-profile restorations of Grand Central terminal, main building on Ellis Island and Enid A Haupt Conservatory at New York Botanical Garden. MORE

Sep. 8, 2016

Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC, is scheduled to open shortly, ensuring Donald J Trump's presence in Capitol whether or not he wins presidential election; hotel's construction, involving conversion of Old Post Office historic federal building, has drawn criticism for reneging on preservation promises and other issues. MORE

Aug. 30, 2016

Op-Ed article by Louvre Museum executive Salvatore Settis calls on Italy to do more to protect Venice, which has been placed on United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's World Heritage in Danger list; holds city's economy must be diversified from tourism monoculture that threatens its social fabric, cohesion and civic culture. MORE

Aug. 27, 2016

Historic architecture, considered cultural asset in Italy, amplified damage from August earthquake as older buildings crumbled; country's rich architectural heritage is costly, as government spends some 3.5 billion euros per year to fix earthquake damage and shore up ancient infrastructure; corruption prevents some anti-seismic efforts from being carried out properly. MORE

Aug. 27, 2016

Historic Old Stone House, now museum in Park Slope, Brooklyn, is celebrating 240th anniversary of Revolutionary War's Battle of Long Island. MORE

Aug. 27, 2016

Editorial criticizes Italy's government for failure to both adequately protect its historic buildings from earthquakes, and to rebuild properly after tremors strike; points to lack of funding, corruption, illegal construction and bureaucracy as among causes; urges Prime Min Matteo Renzi to make good on promises to reinforce existing buildings and ensure new buildings meet earthquake standards. MORE

Aug. 23, 2016

David W Dunlap Building Blocks column discusses Celtic cross and upper 18 feet of spire atop Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, which have been dismantled to allow for restoration of rusting support structures; job, part of overall restoration of brownstone on church's north tower, is scheduled for completion in October. MORE

Aug. 18, 2016

Steven Naifeh continues to reside in Joye Cottage, 60-room historic estate in Aiken, SC, that he restored with his business and life partner Gregory White Smith, who died of cancer in 2014; pair wrote over dozen books together, including A Restoration Comedy: On a Street Called Easy, in a Cottage Called Joye, which chronicles restoration process. MORE

Aug. 15, 2016

New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission approves building plans to restore 19th-century mansion at 100 Clark Street in Brooklyn Heights to its once-stately appearance. MORE

Aug. 13, 2016

Boston University announces it will sell building on which iconic Citgo sign sits to developer Related Beal; preservationists hope sale will mean sign, part of Boston's skyline since 1940, will stay; Boston Landmarks Commission has granted preliminary landmark status to sign. MORE

Aug. 12, 2016

Mausoleum built in historic Washington, DC, Oak Hill cemetery to hold body of longtime Washington Post editor Benjamin C Bradlee has become subject of intense squabble between preservationists and city; advocacy group Cultural Landscape Foundation claims structure violates historic rules and aesthetic, but city has decided to exempt mausoleum and similar constructions from regulatory hurdles. MORE

Aug. 9, 2016

David W Dunlap Building Blocks column; historic Pier 57 in Manhattan, which is undergoing $350 million renovation, is remarkable structure largely because of innovative engineering techniques that keep it afloat--buoyant concrete boxes, called caissons, anchored permanently below water line. MORE

Aug. 8, 2016

Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn files application with New York City Buildings Dept to demolish Our Lady of Loreto church in Brownsville section of Brooklyn; church has been at center of seven-year dispute between preservationists and diocese, which wants to facilitate plans by Catholic Charities to build affordable housing on site. MORE

Aug. 2, 2016

David W Dunlap Building Blocks column; St Paul’s Chapel in Lower Manhattan is undergoing renovation, and chapel's current pink and blue scheme will be muted to creamier tone, which historic preservationists believe to be closer to interior's original color. MORE

Jul. 31, 2016

Section of wooden water pipe, laid in 1800 by Aaron Burr’s Manhattan Company water utility and unearthed in 1947 in what is now SoHo, lies in climate-controlled storage room of Morris-Jamel Mansion in Washington Heights; artifact, connected to lifelong feud between Burr and Alexander Hamilton, hints at checkered past of Manhattan's oldest home. MORE

Jul. 31, 2016

Lyndhurst, historic family estate in Tarrytown, NY, that was owned by 19th-century financier and railroad tycoon Jay Gould, hosts exhibit exploring changing role of women though display of apparel worn by Gould's daughters and daughter-in-law (Metropolitan/Westchester). MORE

Jul. 27, 2016

Jul. 24, 2016

Waldorf Astoria hotel archivist Deidre Dinnigan ponders future of collection of more than 4,000 items related to 123-year-old luxury hotel and its New York history; Anbang Insurance Group acquired building in 2014 with plans to convert it into condominiums with smaller lodging component; while awaiting word on fate of archives, Dinnigan continues to catalog items and records, and hopes to complete collection of employee oral histories. MORE

Jul. 19, 2016

Unesco adds 17 sites designed by architect Le Corbusier around world to World Heritage List. MORE

Jul. 18, 2016

David W Dunlap Building Blocks column; Manhattan's legendary Four Seasons restaurant has left Seagram Building, but millions of dollars are being spent to preserve both interior and exterior, which are designated landmarks. MORE

Jul. 14, 2016

Boston Landmarks Commission votes to study whether iconic Citgo sign in Kenmore Square deserves official landmark status; question has gained urgency as building below sign is up for sale. MORE

Jul. 12, 2016

World Monuments Fund, nonprofit working to save endangered historic sites, restructures finances and cuts 11 of its 45 jobs after 10-year matching donation from philanthropist Robert W Wilson ends. MORE

Jul. 12, 2016

Restoration is set to begin on Glasgow School of Art's Charles Rennie Mackintosh building, 1909 Art Nouveau architectural masterwork that was gutted by fire in 2014. MORE

THE TUNNELS Escapes Under the Berlin Wall and the Historic Films the JFK White House Tried to Kill By Greg Mitchell Illustrated. 382 pp. Crown. $28.
Television viewers expecting the usual programming on NBC on Dec. 10, 1962, were greeted...